The 100 Season 4 Premiere Review

The harsh post-apocalyptic world of The 100 has claimed the lives of many, whether it was when the original delinquents and the grounders were at war, when Mount Weather captured people, or when ALIE took over the minds of many. But, this season, Clarke and the rest face something even bigger: the end of the world, due to nuclear reactors melting down. Time is ticking.

S4E1 "Echoes"
The episode begins with two of the show's best characters: Octavia and Indra. People are dying all over, and when Clarke and Bellamy show up, they look like they are coming out of the music video for Green Day's "Jesus of Suburbia". Seriously. Watch it and see. Clarke and Bellamy discuss whether or not they should tell people about what ALIE said. This is doing what The 100 does best: moral decisions that those in power have to make. Bellamy concludes that they shouldn't tell people because they just got their pain back, and they don't even know if ALIE was telling the truth.

The show then goes to the remainder of its best characters: Raven, Jasper, and Monty. Jasper is having difficulty dealing with life after being under ALIE's control. Kane and Jaha are also dealing with what they've done, especially Jaha. Grounders argue about who is control, resulting in a sudden throat-slashing. On The 100, almost anyone can die at anytime. That's one of the things that makes this show great. Skaikru is now not allowed to leave Polis, giving the group something they have to accomplish that's more short-term.

There is one main character we haven't gotten to yet, Murphy. He is angry at Jaha once again. He tries to convince his girlfriend to join him in Arkadia. Clarke shares what ALIE told her with Octavia, Indra, Kane, and Abby. Skaikru puts a plan in motion. Jaha pretends to bring in the body of Antari, but it is really Octavia, who gets Clarke and Abby access to Roan, so that they can save him. Bellamy negotiates terms of surrender, while Clarke and Abby try to save Roan. What's going on with Bellamy is more interesting, though Clarke and Abby's operation gets intense as it doesn't seem to be going well. It works, however, though it seems like it shouldn't have, making the trouble Clarke and Abby ran into unnecessary.

Back in Arkadia, Jasper has an emotional scene where he plans on killing himself. I wish there had been more build up to this than just the one scene earlier, but I guess there is a lot going on in Polis. Raven shares with Jasper, Monty, and Harper what is going on with the nuclear reactors, which also reveals approximately what year it is: 2148. Jasper has an interesting reaction to the news. He laughs, and sets down the gun. Roan contemplates what to do. Clarke takes a moment to cry about Lexa, which feels a bit random.

Clarke tells Roan (who, with his crown and that hair, looks like how artists have portrayed Jesus leading up to his crucifixion) that the world is going to end in six months, but Roan responds that if he lets her live, he will be dead in six days. So, Clarke gives him the flame. He announces that he has the flame, that he will rule, and that Skaikru should be protected. The season's story really gets started now, as the team of Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia, Indra, Abby, and Kane prepares to save the world. The end of the episode shows Egypt, where people are being killed by radiation.

The season is off to an epic start, and while Jasper's suicide attempt didn't get the build-up it truly deserved, and Raven didn't get enough material despite being the best just in general and at everything, this episode still had great moments and got a lot accomplished.